Mark Rae Mark Rae made his name as a musician through production duo Rae & Christian, whose two albums have gone down in history as benchmarks against which UK beats, soul and hip hop have come to be judged. Blues & Soul Magazine commented that Rae & Christian 'created a template for a sound that is often copied but rarely bettered. Collaborations included many international greats such as Bobby Womack, The Congos, The Pharcyde, Jeru The Damaja, The Jungle Brothers and Texas, with many more artists getting the Rae & Christian treatment through their remix work (listed below). Mark Rae emerged as a solo artist in 2002 with the release of 'Rae Road', which was met with much anticipation by a public that now had a keen interest to see what direction the Grand Central head-honcho would choose for his own project. Extensive touring followed, pretty much right up to the release of his second album, 'Into The Depths', which was released last year. Mark is presently recording material for new project ARP with 'Into The Depths' writing and production partner, Rhys Adams. ARP's first appearance was on Wall of Sound's 'Two Culture Clash' release, the success of which has drawn the likes of Skinnyman, Rodney P, Kenny Knotts and Sweetie Irie into the studio. The album will also feature the considerable talent of Ayak, last year's winner of the Urban Music Festival's unsigned competition. Demand for this act is so high that they've already been booked to play the Big Chill and Cross Central festivals despite not having finished the album and the label keeping quiet about the project's existence! PRESS: 'Into The Depths' 'A genuinely talented individual' 5/5 Ô DJ magazine 'I could cry it's so damn good' XLR8R (US) 'Loose-limbed, well crafted and exquisitely performed' 4/5 Ô iDJ "Mind, Body & Soul's breakbeat funk, Reach Out to Me's big Afro-ed love-in and the easy rolling sunshine of Medicine each ride a wave of elation and banner-waving choruses which make every track an event." Q 'A lushly constructed and beautifully produced collection of woozy downbeat funk' Knowledge 'Rae Road' "Rae Road" is a delightful proof of the man in spectacles wizardry.' 4/5 DJ magazine 'This is his solo debut, and a fabulously low down, dirty and funky affair it is too. Essential listening for the future-facing funkster.' 4/5 Ô Boys Toys 'With bouncing bass and funk guitar samples, Rae Road feels like a hip hop update of The Specials' 4/5 Ô Q 'Hire some large, clumsy men and a big fuck off van and move to 'Rae Road' without delay.' Muzik |
 "Northern Sulphuric Soul" 'There's no disputing the quality, charm and elegance of this album, fusing hip hop, soul and a pinch of pop an absolute must if it's not yet in your collection.' 5/5 Ô iDJ |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||